esunada

it is their job to save lives - they get paid for it like any other hospital, hehe. Have you looked at other hospitals? Look at TCU/LTC too, you dont want to be a stale new grad with no RN job which is around the one year mark. Then people wonder why you dont have an RN job and that doesn't look too good either. Might not hurt to stay casual at Abbott at least until January just to keep the door open. And ALWAYS ALWAYS maintain your contacts.

It will be my last day of work soon and there are about 30 people I work with. Is it common courtesy to bring treats on your last day of work or does the supervisor/coworkers normally bring something? If I should bring something, should I bring cookies, candy, brownies, or what do you guys think?

St Joseph's is part of healtheast which includes Woodwinds and Bethesda and St. Johns. They only hire new grads twice a year and the last round they only hired a total of 8 new grads for their entire system. Guess how many apply - hundreds upon hundreds! Regions hasn't had any new grads posting in several months besides labor and delivery ironically and there were only 2. MN/WI has one of the best healthcare systems and a TON of nursing schools - economy is just as bad here as it is most places and because the pay and working conditions are great in MN/WI nurses come in droves. New grads are having a VERY hard time unless they have a really good connection (i.e. they precepted on the floor, they have a friend high up or a family member in the in). Most of my nursing class do not have jobs and they are from MN. I think the only reason he has somewhat of a chance is because he is a guy and honestly male nurses get affirmative action around most parts, haha. My suggestion -apply into the MAYO healthcare system - they accept more new grads than most places.

I currently live a half hour from a home health visit and the visit only takes 1 hr- 1 1/2 hrs. I didn't realize it was a half an hour away so I called back within 5 minutes to say I didn't want to take it ( I have a choice). But the staffer already called the family to let them know I would take them on a regular basis once a week so she wouldn't let me "unassign" myself at that point. I have no other clients really near him to make it worthwhile either. I also live in a the cities Well, I'm moving soon and the visit will soon be 44 minutes long, 27 miles, and I live where it snows a lot in the winter so it could be longer some days. Am I screwed or can I get out of it? Should I talk to my manager if the staffer won't let me or will it look like I'm not a team player? Lastly, my client has dementia/mood disorder so extremely agitated at times...so that alone makes it a burnout visit. I get paid per visit and mileage based on the current govt. rate.

Yes, that's true. What really should have happened is that he should have failed nursing school and not be a nurse in the first place but they let him slide by and gave him multiple chances to shape up which he also half-assed. I also know he is a schmoozer and I've seen how they fall for his personality even if he is doing a not so great job. I wish there was a way managers could see a person's true colors or look beyond the schmooze. I know this guy and its not like he was just bad at tests, its like he didn't care and has horrible time management and prioritization skills. Oh well, so is life.

Yes, but does it look bad to recruiters/managers if i apply to both peds positions and adult positions at the same hospital? I don't want to screw my chances with the entire hospital system just because they think it looks like i don't know what area I want to be in or look like i'm desperate.

Two new grad candidates compete for a job and both have worked at said hospital and both have an equal amount of healthcare experience and in. One candidate almost failed nursing school, bad GPA, forgets everything under the sun including due dates of assignments, half-assed assignments, loses track of time, late to meetings, but a guy who comes off very passionate and likes to talk. Second candidate is a girl has great GPA, very detail-oriented, hard worker, very organized, articulate Guess who got the job? The guy. Yup, it doesn't make sense.

So I've read on here to apply to whatever you can because new grads can't be picky. But then I read don't apply to multiple types of positions in one hospital system because it makes it look like you don't know what you want. I take that to mean don't apply to both pediatric positions and adult positions. So what is it? I technically want to apply to anything that will accept new grads and while I do have stronger interests in some units over others I think I would be happy in most any type of unit

I have a client who refuses showers. He comprehends most things but seems withdrawn and has alzheimers. When asked if he will let us give him a shower he gets agitated. If we explain that it is important that he is clean for hygeine and health reason he gets more agitated. if we say his family really wants him to have a shower because they care about him, he gets even more agitated. Distracting him doesn't work because he knows that we want to give him a shower. He starts yelling, slaps, punches, kicks and squeezes my arm if we come anywhere near him in an attempt to give him a shower. He is a two person assist so for him to be that agitated makes it really hard to give him a shower when he is trying to hit us. Its amazing how strong people get when they are angry even if they are elderly - it really hurt when he held on to my wrist with all his might. One of us tries to hold their hands to prevent the punching but its still not easy. The nurse is going to see if a agitation med will work right before the shower. Anyone experience this and how do you manage it?

Good question. Yeah, saying prioritization etc is fine. But they are like the FBI, they can track you anywhere, wahaha. J/K, maybe? There's a chance one could provide the exact question and answer and get away with it. But why risk it? With all the people on here, I'm sure at least one works for NCLEX. They would probably make the test 10 x harder for everyone else. Who knows. I just believe in not risking it. Just my two cents. I do apprecaite everyone's help on here though. The allnurses guide was great and all the support. I may need some more if I don't pass.

Just a reminder to everyone to be careful of what you say about the nclex. You're techinically not suppose to disclose the content of questions. I think saying SATA and infection control is okay but beyond that the line gets blurry and I've seen a few already where it does get blurry. This is a public forum and the rules explicitly state that you will get disqualified and everyone's Kaplan scores could be put on hold if you disclose content from the exam. Just a thought. On a more positive note. I finished with 75 questions and got the good pop up. Hoping for the best.

So the application allowed me to attach either a doc. pdf. or text file to my online application for my resume and cover letter. I attached doc. but when I preview it, the formatting is all off and there are a few random symbols where there shouldn't be. Will it look okay on their side once I submit it. Online apps confuse me!!! THanks!

I am a new grad who was offered a 0.4 FTE at a nice hospital. They will orient me at 0.8. Is is worth it because ideally I'd like to work 0.8. Will I easily pick up shifts or will I be able to get my foot in the door so I can easily switch to more FTE on that unit when it opens up?

If I apply and get an interview now will the nurse manager still want to hire me if I couldn't start for two months? I am a new graduate so I still have to graduate and take the NCLEX!

I think you should apply everywhere, but dont apply to CNA jobs because you have an RN license. I don't think they would even hire you because they know you would leave the moment you could and you are well overqualified. Do apply to nursing homes, home health agencies, wherever they hire nurses. Can you possibly apply out of state, too where there are more shortages? Apply to psych but from my understanding psych nursing require experience and med/surg is generally where most new nurses start in the hospital setting.

From what I've read those are the worst states for new grads because they have a TON of new grads looking for jobs. In Oregon and Washington they pay tremendously well, thus the market is saturated. It doesn't hurt to try but try you will and your chances are slim to none.

I'm a new grad so obviously I'm not anyone's favorite choice. However, I do have favorite units and favorite hospitals I want to work. How much do I limit myself? Do I just apply to any hospital and any med/surge type floor that's out there? Or should I be more picky? I just don't want to miss out on good opportunities but I also don't want to accept a job only to find out a month later I could have gotten an interview on my dream unit. Thoughts? Right now I"m in the mindset to apply to any hospital within a 30 mile radius that's med/surge (i.e. oncology, cardiac, med/surg, ortho, etc) and accept the first offer.

I don't think there is such a thing as a full-time floor nurse job unless you work in a clinic or some speciality of nursing. 0.8-0.9 is what most new grad start with and you can generally pick up shifts. They don't want you working 1.0 because you would definitely go over time because most nurses don't clock out on the dot or may need to stay a little later due to emergencies and whatnot. Plus 1.0 and overtime can cause burnout as a floor nurse. You get full benefits at a certain FTE, I'm not sure what but definitely at 0.8 +.

So RNs can delegate but LPNS can't. However, what is delgation exactly? WHen I think of delegation I think of telling a CNA to give this patient a bath or have them check their glucose or tell them to ambulate them. However, I know LPNS can do that so what do they mean then by LPNS can't delegate? Does delegation refer to less common tasks that CNAs can do like give medication if trained? Also when are we accountable. Like if a CNA gives the wrong med am I as an RN held accountable even though they were trained on it, can legally pass meds in the state, and were the ones who made the mistake?

It seems like standards for safety are different depending on the nurse, unit, or if you are a different healthcare professional. I see nurses use alcohol wipes before giving a flush or an IV push, doctors I've seen just stick it in there without wiping. Some push air out of the saline flush before flushing, others don't because of how small the air bubble is. Some lpns can do more at certain hospitals or units, others can't. Some say a half hour from time to give meds some say up to an hour is okay to give meds. Its just gets confusing and everyone thinks their way is right because thats how they learned it. But if its a matter of safety shouldn't there just be one right way and everyone should be on board? How do you know what is right or wrong if you have one preceptor who you learn from or one professor who hasn't worked as a nurse in several years. Bah.

I've always wondered, do antidepressants actually alter the brain so that your neurotranmitters are functioning properly post medication or is it just a temporary crutch and once you stop medications you have to learn to cope with having a shortcoming in your neurotransmitters through cognitive therapy. Or maybe for some people, after a year their brain goes back to normal and the depression was just temporary.

If you work 0.8 which is 32 hrs a week and you pick up an extra shift or you stay a 1/2 hour late on a shift can you do that? Do you get paid regular time or overtime?

If you have no insurance and go to an ER, don't you still have to pay? Don't the collectors come knocking at your door? Someone said ER is free for the uninsured but I don't understand how. Also, why don't people just go to their clinic, urgent care, minute clinic...why ER for a minor ailment? Isn't it more expensive for them to go to the ER?

Yes, I'm pretty sure everyone has done some pretty stupid things. Its when you do the same stupid things more than a couple times within a short period of time that it bdcomes a problem. Or maybe if you do something really dangerous like give alll the meds in one shift for one person to another person because you didn't check their name or something like that. I agree that experienced nurses need to be more supportive and encouraging but at the same time don't we remember more if they go spastic on us? I think the best preceptor challenges you to think critically, encourages you to learn new skills and shows you, but might be like a chastising mom at times when we've done stupid things but make it known thats how we learn --- ultimately supporting you. Meh, just talking out of my orifice.

I agree w/ many posters that a passion for the actual job is not neccessary. Everyone views jobs differently: some see it is a calling, others see it as a means to an end, some have the luxary to pursue their dreams, others have to risk everything to where they can't take that leap of faith --- all are understandable. Neither view is neccessarily right, it is just what is right for each person. Whatever your motivation, as long as you have a good work ethic and provide good care, you are good to go. Maybe those with passion and great skills will advance nursing as one person said in great ways, but every nurse does not have to be chaging the systems to be making a difference. Not everyone can or should be a leader. I know a lot of people don't like the hoards of individuals coming into nursing but ultimately it is for the better - more competition = better nurses in the field. And those who didn't do thorough research and come to realize that there aren't many jobs out there right now and feel screwed - well, you should have done your research. I knew well beforehand that it was going to be tough, and I took the risk knowing full well, too. Of course, maybe the younger folks don't think about those things, and I blame that on bad parenting. Just my opinion.